Drinking alcoholic beverages.....Sin or not?

Question

My father-in-law told me NO alcohol at my wedding!!! I argued to the point of almost eloping. When I asked him about Jesus drinking wine as mentioned in the Bible, his reply was: "Jesus never drank wine, it was grape juice back in those times, they just called it wine."

Answer 1

Hello Joseph G.. :)

Jesus drank fermented wine..it was not grape juice..

How can one get drunk on grapejuice??

Ephesians 5

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

1 Timothy 5

23 ¶ Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

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In Jesus Most Precious Name..
With Love..In Christ.. :)

Answer 2

The word used in the Hebrew language for wine can also mean grape juice or grape jelly. Obviously, when Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding, it wasn’t grape jelly. So, it has to be wine or grape juice.

We determine what it was in the same way that we determine it wasn’t jelly: Through the circumstances surrounding the event. We know that it wasn’t jelly because the people “drank” it. You can’t drink jelly.

Because of what the head master said about the drink, we determine that it was wine and not grape juice. The head master made a comment when he tasted the wine that Jesus had made. Paraphrasing, he said that the good wine is set out first and after the people have drank quite a bit, then the inferior wine is given (because, supposedly, when people have drank enough alcohol, they are to the point of not caring or not being able to tell the difference). His point was that the wine that Jesus had made was superior and should had been given to the people first.

Now, it is my understanding that there is no different levels of grape juice. Grape juice is grape juice. But, there is different grades of wine. The longer that wine is aged, the better and more expensive it is. A wine aged hundred years would be superior to a wine aged only ten years. So, the drink that Jesus made has to be wine.

To answer your question: If it is a sin to drink alcohol, then it would be wrong to make alcohol. The scriptures is clear that Jesus made wine (alcohol) at the wedding feast. Therefore, it is not a sin to drink alcohol.

Just a word of advise: Go along with your father-in-law. Don’t ruin your wedding over a beverage.

Answer 3

And whose wedding is it? How old are you and your fience? Jesus did turn the water into wine. I'd like to hear your father-in-laws answer to how did they get drunk off grape juice? Proverbs 23:21 For the DRUNKARD and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Proverb 26:9 AS a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
And how about Genesis 9:20 And NOAH began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
The part about Jesus drinking wine, I think you mixed that up, he turned water into wine. But, I see no reason why you should not be able to have wine at your wedding, unless the reception is at the church, some churches have rules against it.

Answer 4

If the wine in the Bible was grape juice then why are there so many cautions against drunkenness?

Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, ... (John 2:7-9)

Wine is used throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was to turn water in wine at the wedding in Cana.

It is true that we should not become drunk but used in moderation, wine is a biblically acceptable beverage.

Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because it is now that God favors your works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

What would Jesus do? Jesus had a cup of wine with dinner.

If some people wish to totally forego alcohol to eliminate the temptation to over indulge, that's fine. But I don't think they should force that unbiblical teaching onto others.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

I have to agree with most of the postings. Fermented grape juice, or wine was discovered way before Jesus was born, so wine in the bible was definitely an alcoholic beverage. I hate to tell all you guys who say drinking is bad for you, but the overwhelming body of evidence if that a little red wine on a regular basis has definite health benefits, both mentally and physically.

Answer 6

1 Timothy 5:23 Do not drink water any longer, but use a LITTLE wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent cases of sickness.

Ephesians 5:18 Also, do not be getting drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery,...

At the Passover/ Memorial the Bible says the drink was the 'product of the vine.' This could have been grape juice, since other places in the Bible, always refer to wine, John 2:9, Matthew 27:48, Matthew 26:29.

Answer 7

My *** He didn't!! (Sorry for the expletive that Yahoo deleted!) The wine He created at the wedding was fermented grape juice (aka: wine), as a close reading of the story will prove to you. As far as sin or okay, it's clearly okay. Wine was served as a regular drink in that part of the world and has been for centuries, or millenia now. As Christian Girl says, "Everything in moderation". I feel I'm a Christian, or at least I try to be, and I drink wine with a meal anytime I want, and when I go to a Mexican restaurant, I order the best margarita they've got, on the rocks. But I NEVER get intoxicated, mostly because I stopped liking that feeling decades ago, and I don't like driving home "under the influence" or "while intoxicated" as my Army son can tell you after he got arrested once for DUI when he was home for some r&r from Iraq, and he knew not to call me to come bail him out. He knows very well my thoughts on DWI or DUI, but, again, as Christian Girl says, "Everything in moderation" is very applicable here, and no sin will be committed. God Bless you.

Answer 8

In everything MODERATION ! That includes alcohol.. There is a diffrence betwen having a drink or 2 than a person getting pissy drunk ! Not everyone has moderation though! Yes wine was given by Jesus at the wedding..I am sure it was WINE WINE.now I may be wrong If I am God forgive me .but maybe that was mentioned so everyone could see the miracles the Lord did at the time. I think God holds everyone responsable for gluttney that includes getting TOO MUCH WINE OR BEER !

Answer 9

Your father-in-law is lying. If Jesus drank grape juice, then why was he called a drunkard? In Matthew 11:19 Jesus was called a drunkard for drinking wine in the homes of local crooks and thieves.

Answer 10

I've heard that "It was grape juice" line myself. It's pure horse hockey. People have drank alcohol in all recorded history. Jesus turned water into wine at a party. How cool is that?

Look, drinking isn't a sin. Drunkeness is, but as long as you are not getting bombed at your own party, what's the problem.

Answer 11

he's wrong it was wine. although decidedly different from what wine is today. mainly people drank wine back then because it was safer than drinking water. the processing of the wine helped filter out the bad stuff that would be in water. the wine in jesus's time was probably no more or less alcoholic than today's wine. but it may have been processed differently.
i think your dad is over-reacting. temperance went the way of the dodo long ago. unless there's a significant percantage of alcoholics present i say you are in the right.